Updated August 9, 2016 at 04:52 pm
San José
If weather conditions permit, the night of Thursday August 11 and the morning of 12 will be an excellent opportunity to watch a light show in the sky.
this is rain known as the Perseids and that can be seen as fleeting lights rapidly cross the night sky.
the meteor showers originate in comets, which are very old stars, meteors whose nucleus contains chunks of ice and frozen gases, rocks and dust. When these celestial bodies approach the sun, they throw dust and gases that make up the comet’s tail.
“The nuclei of comets are like large ice floes that when they approach the inner solar system are heated and its surface sublimates, ie it passes from solid to gas. what happens is that dust particles that are as small pebbles are released. When these particles come into contact with the upper atmosphere of the Earth generates an intense shine and the typical trail of meteors, “explained physicist José Alberto Villalobos.
Thus, the Perseids are fragments of comet Swift-Tuttle which completes its orbit around the sun every 133 years. When Earth passes through the cloud of particles leaving the kite, they collide with the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 212,000 kilometers per hour. The disintegration of the light effect erroneously called “shooting star” because it is not about stars occurs.
All meteor showers start from a radiant, ie a point on the sphere celeste from where we seem to come from those fragments. “We must take into account that meteors are between 100 and 200 kilometers above the surface of the Earth, but a perspective effect at night, we seem to occur at a point in the constellation that is thousands of million kilometers away, “said Villalobos.
the name of the constellation in which it is located that radiant is that he inspired the names of meteor showers: Perseids (Perseus), Geminids (Gemini), Líradas (Lira), Leonidas (Leo), Oriónidas (Orion)
only show “the Perseids 2016 have a good prognosis for the night of August 11 and the morning of 12 even the next day. the visibility will improve after the moon sets, at 2 in the morning until just before dawn, “said Villalobos.
the instructor Planetarium San Jose, Eric Sanchez, explained that under optimal conditions of observation can be appreciated up to 150 meteors per hour. “Rain can you see anywhere on the planet, but we appreciate the local weather,” he said.
The National Administration of Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is even more optimistic and highlights 2016 as a year for an “explosion” of Perseids. This means that rain will present more meteors than normal.
“an explosion of Perseids are expected this year with a rate of meteors per hour will be twice the normal values, you will see the night of 11 and early 12. Under perfect conditions could see up to 200 meteors per hour, “said Bill Cooke, Office Meteoroid Environment NASA.
the last explosion Perseids was recorded in 2009.
Recommended.
– Search sites away from artificial lighting, as this interferes with the astronomical show.
-. It is preferable to leave the city, to have a darker sky and less light pollution
– The best time to appreciate rain is in the morning so it is recommended to keep warm properly
-. Do not require any special equipment for observation, by their nature are to be seen with the naked eye
– However, visibility depends on whether the sky is clear or not. You can see the rain even from the backyard
. – NASA will hold a transmission from its website which may follow this link from 8 pm (ET of Costa Rica) on the nights of 11 to 12 and from 12 to 13 August.
ansolano@nacion.com
Reporter
Journalist in the Global Village section. Degree in Mass Communication at the University Federada. Writes about art, culture and science.
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